A chunk of ice bigger than the US state of Delaware is hanging by a thread from the West Antarctic ice shelf, satellite images revealed Wednesday.

When it finally calves from the Larsen C ice shelf, one of the biggest icebergs in recorded history will be set adrift — some 6,600 square kilometers (2,550 square miles) in total, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

The iceberg's depth below sea level could be as much as 210 meters (almost 700 feet), or about 60 stories, it said.

"The crack in the ice is now around 200 kilometers (125 miles) long, leaving just five kilometers between the end of the fissure and the ocean," the ESA said in a statement.

"Icebergs calve from Antarctica all the time, but because this one is particularly large its path across the ocean needs to be monitored as it could pose a hazard to maritime traffic."

Scientists tracking the berg's progression expect it to break of within months.

The Larsen C shelf will lose more than 10 percent of its total surface area.

The massive ice cube will float in water and by itself will not add to sea levels when it melts.

Comparison of speeds between Sentinel-1 image mosaics in early and late June 2017. The early mosaic combines displacements on the inner shelf measured between 6th and 12th June with similar ones on the outer shelf measured between 3rd and 15th June. The recent mosaic combines inner shelf displacements up to 24th June with outer shelf displacements only 3 days later highlighting a significant acceleration over those three days. |
Project MIDAS

Ice shelves float on the sea, extending from the coast, and are fed by slow-flowing glaciers from the land.

They act as giant brakes, preventing glaciers from flowing directly into the ocean.

If the glaciers held in check by Larsen C spilt into the Antarctic Ocean, it would lift the global watermark by about 10 centimeters (four inches), researchers have said.

The calving of ice shelves occurs naturally, though global warming is believed to have accelerated the process.